West Asia
Narendra Modi’s visit to UAE and Bahrain

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on 23-24 August 2019 and Bahrain on 24-25 August 2019. The visit by the Indian Prime Minister marks the first visit to the UAE and the West Asian region after coming back to p....

Constitutional Amendment - Responses from West Asia

Responses of individual West Asian States on India’s decision to annul to revoke Article 370 and Article 35A has been multi-faceted and mostly focused on controlling the situation rather than any direct criticism for change in India’s policy. Sau....

Is it Time for India to Up its Game in West Asia?

Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to visit the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and France this week to boost bilateral ties with these states. The visit comes in the wake of support that India has received from these countries after New Delhi deci....

The War on Yemen

Saudi Arabia invaded its neighbour Yemen in March 2015. The assessment then in Riyadh was that after a few weeks of aerial bombing, the Houthis will surrender and Hadi, the President who escaped to Riyadh from imprisonment at his residence by the Hou....

West Asia Review – July 2019

Abstract
The US-Iran spat continued despite some signs of a thaw and a possible dialogue since both sides continued with sabre rattling and mutual recriminations. Meanwhile the mutual detention of the cargo ships by Iran and the ....

Brainstorming Session on ‘India and West Asia – a New Paradigm Shift and Policy Options’

The Vivekananda International Foundation (VIF) organised a Brainstorming Session on ‘India and West Asia – a New Paradigm Shift and Policy Options’. The deliberations broadly focussed on assessing the present situation in the West Asian Region ....

US Sanctions, Hormuz Strait and Security in the Gulf

The seizure of Stena Impero by Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) on 19th July in the Hormuz Strait follows arrest of Grace 1 off Gibraltar by Royal Marines earlier. This represents an escalation. Incidents of attacks on tankers on 12th May an....

Losing Istanbul Twice: Erdogan’s Humbling Moment

Introduction
President Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (also known as AKP by its Turkish acronym) conceded a major defeat in the re-run of Istanbul mayoral elections on June 23 indicating a tectonic shift in Turkey’s po....

West Asia Round up - June 2019

Abstract
June was a particularly hot month in so far as the developments in the Middle East are concerned. In the US-Iran imbroglio one witnessed a ‘hot & cold’ approach with the US continuing with its maximum pressure tactics whi....

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